Sunday, December 10, 2017

Iron & Stone - (2017) Petrichor

After waking up early this morning and getting my first cup of coffee, before the kids get out of bed and start demanding stuff, I have a few fleeting minutes of time. What better way to start the morning than with a sonic head-butt, courtesy of Germany's Iron & Stone.

The band has been around in one form or another since 2012 and have released a handful of recordings in that time. Starting with their EP/Demo "Maelstrom", followed by a couple of other EPs in 2014 and 2015. "Petrichor" is the title given to the band's first full length album. "Petrichor", is a Greek word that refers to that earthy smell after it rains, a seemingly fitting title for a first LP, a sort of washing away of what you have done previously.

"Petrichor" comes out swinging, straight from the gate with "Avalanche", falling into a heavy doom riff, not unlike something you might hear on any given Down album. Gritty vocals then join in on the festivities. Down is most definitely an influence on these guys and that follows suit for most of the albums 10 tracks. There's also a bit of a southern metal vibe going on here and there as well. A mellow acoustic guitar interlude sits at the halfway point to give the listener a breather, then it's back into hitting you over the head with sludgy doom riffs.

I kept waiting for something different to happen the whole time while while listening to this album, and it just never really did. I'd like to hear what else this band can do, sure they have the chops to make heavy music but it would be a better listening experience to veer off course a bit and shock the listener, make it a little more interesting. If your thing is, as mentioned before... Down, Crowbar and that heavy Nola sound this is one album to check out.   -Adam Walsh

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